Vehicles often have trailer hitch receivers mounted to the frame of the vehicle. These receivers are commonly rearward-facing and have an opening that accepts trailer hitch ball mounts, bike racks, cargo carriers and other hitch mounted accessories. One such accessory, a hitch step, provides a raised platform making the bed of a truck or the roof of a van or SUV more accessible. However, the location of a rearward-facing hitch step means that it is often the point of first impact during a rear end collision.
Because many light trucks, vans and SUV's have wide bodies, it is useful for a hitch step to have a wider, stable platform upon which a user may step at a considerable distance from the hitch axis. A need also exists for a hitch step that absorbs force from the impact of a rear collision along a greater transverse range to better protect more of the vehicle rear bumper.
Prior hitch steps are formed of metal, usually steel in order to withstand the weight of an adult at an off-axis position without unacceptable torsion around the hitch axis or cantilever deformation. Prior hitch steps therefore add considerable weight to the vehicle, and their ability to absorb, rather than transmit, impacts from the rear of the vehicle is limited.
The Applicant has previously developed an all-polymer trailer hitch step, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 9,145,035 B2. While this trailer hitch step provides some protection against rear impacts and affords an area on which a user may step, the width of this hitch step is limited because of the torsional deformation and vertical deflection that would otherwise occur if a heavy load were placed on its transverse end.